Golf club grip



E. E. HALL May 30, 1939.

Patented May 30, 1939 UNITED sTArEfs ATENT OFFICE GOLF CLUB GRIP Eric E. 'Hall, Chicago, 111.

Application March 29, 1938, Serial No. 198,728

- 2 Claims. (01. 273-81) In the designing of grips for individual golf players it has been found desirable in some instances to provide lugs or protuberances on the handle of the golf club, so spaced as to best fit the contour of the hand and fingers of the individual player. In view of the fact that the location of such protuberances can not advantageously be standardized, difliculty has heretofore been experienced in providing for accurate location and retention of such protuberant members, and it is to meet these conditions that the present invention has been designed.

The purpose of the invention is to provide protuberant strips or patches preferably of a flexible nature which Will conform to the surface contour of the golf club handle and which may be located in any desired position and may thereafter be tightly held in place without adherence by the provision of an elastic sheath or sleeve which when rolled down into position will overlie the inserts and hold them firmly in position and which will at the same time be stretched or deformed so as to partake of the contour of the insert, thereby giving to the contact surface of the golf club shaft the desired contour to fit the needs or preferences of the individual player.

Further objects and details will appear from a description of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the handle and of a golf club shaft showing one of the protuberant inserts properly located and ready to be overlapped and retained by the rolling down of the elastic sheath;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the sheath rolled over the insert, and displaying the protrusion occasioned thereby;

Fig. 3 is a view of one of the inserts showing .the same flexed or distended to snugly fit the substantially cylindrical contour of the golf club handle;

Figs. 4 and 5 are side elevations showing elongated inserts variously arranged prior to the rolling down of the sheath; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are similar views showing the protrusion occasioned through the sheath by the presence of the inserts.

The handle end ID of a golf club shaft has fitted thereupon a flexible or deformable insert H which may be of rubber or similar material adapted to be stretched or distorted to the extent necessary to snugly embrace the handle end of the golf club shaft which is ordinarily enclosed and surfaced by a covering of leather which affords the handle grip of a golf club shaft of conventional type.

The insert shown in Figs. 1 and 3 is normally of flattened disk shaped formation but may be easily bent or deformed to assume the rounded contour 5 shown in Fig. 3. In lieu of the disk shaped insert above referred to, an elongated rib-shaped insert 62 may be employed and laid upon the shaft either in parallel relation to the axis as in Fig. 4, or in spiral relation thereto as in Fig. 6. If desired, inserts of other configuration may be employed, or two or more inserts either of the same or differing configuration may be used, depending upon the gripping surface desired by the individual player.

After one or more of the inserts have been positioned at the desired point, or points, the same are held in place by a thin flexible sheath l3, preferably of elastic rubber, which may be rolled down over the surface of the handle grip, without mechanical assistance, although more easily applied by the use of the tool which forms the subject matter of Letters Patent No. 2,038,840, dated April 28, 1936.

The sheath or sleeve, being flexible, will close- 25 ly hug the surface of the handle grip and will be distended at the point, or points, where it overlies one or more of the inserts, so that the exterior surface will partake of the contour afforded by the inserts, and will thus present the configuration desired to meet the individual players requirements.

' The sheath or sleeve will fit tightly enough to firmly hold the insert in place upon the handle grip Without the necessity for providing adhesive or other means for securing the insert in place, which arrangement permits the insert, or inserts, to be readily shifted to any desired position, or permits substitution to be made by merely rolling back the sheath to the necessary extent to free the insert from confinement.

It is preferred to provide a rubber sheath having a high degree of frictional surface contact and of a length to accommodate the upper hand only (usually the left hand) of the player, with? 45 out, however, increasing the friction of the lower handle surface provided for contact of the players right hand. This increase in friction at the upper end of the handle grip, together with the provision of the inserts fitted to the players hand, enables the left hand to more firmly grip the golf club and to exert the preponderant control of the players stroke, while at the same time affording sufficient grip to the right hand to steady the .hand and prevent any uncontrolled movement thereof from interfering with the guiding action of the left hand.

The present shaft, therefore, is one which not only centers the control in the left hand by increase of friction but also by fitting the upper end of the handle to the natural depressions of the players left hand, so that the handle will be positively fitted as well as frictionally held against turning or twisting, with a resulting improvement in the players capacity to effectively control the stroke. By the combination of these two factors, therefore, the gripping requirements of both of the players hands are adequately provided for and a harmonized action is obtained, which, however, centers the preponderant control in the left hand, which is necessary in order to secure accuracy and proper distance.

I claim:

1. In combination with a golf clubshaft, a protuberant deformable soft rubber insert loosely applied to the upper portion of the handle end of the golf club shaft, and a tubular integral sheath of thin elastic rubber overlying and surrounding the insert and stretched thereby to cor responding configuration and presenting a surface affording a relatively high co-efiicient of fricti n for the players upper hand and serving to defoiin the insert to the extent necessary to closely co form to the curvature of the underlying surface of the handle.

2. In combination with a golf club shaft, a protuberant soft rubber insert loosely applied to the upper portion of the handle end of the golf club shaft, and a tubular sheath of thin elastic rubber overlying and surrounding the insert and stretched thereby to corresponding configuration and presenting a surface affording a relatively high co-eflicient of friction for the players upper hand, the sheath terminating above the lower end of the handle, and the lower end affording a surface having a lesser co-efficient of friction for the players lower hand to permit preponderant control to be exercised by the upper hand.

ERIC E. HALL. 

